


Oh Boy—The Praying Mantis Job

by crayonbreakygal



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Humor, Parker Being Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crayonbreakygal/pseuds/crayonbreakygal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate thought no one else would remember his birthday.  Takes place right before The Morning After Job, season three, continuing on through season four.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh Boy—The Praying Mantis Job

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone remember the photos on Nate's walls during The Morning After Job? Just a bit of humor regarding those photos. The producers were laughing as they described the photos in the commentary. Enjoy!

Takes place right before The Morning After Job, season three, continuing on through season four

Oh Boy—The Praying Mantis Job

“Um, Parker.  Thanks.”

Oh boy, oh boy.  He’d thought no one else would remember his birthday, except for Sophie because she said she had something planned.  Only they all had remembered, all had given him gifts.

Hardison bought him tickets to a Patriots game on the 50 yard line.  Eliot managed to get him and Sophie dinner for two at a restaurant that had a months-long waiting list.  Parker was more secretive, until the day of the celebration.  Leading them all up to his bedroom, she opened the door with a flourish.  He hadn’t been up there all day, so he had no idea she had entered his domain.

His other three teammates just looked on in astonishment.  All his artwork, all the pieces he had collected from minor artists in the past few years were gone.  He hoped that she had put them somewhere safe.  On his walls now were photographs.  Not just photographs of scenes or people. 

“Praying mantises?” Eliot questioned.

“Yeah.  Isn’t it terrific?”

Sophie’s eyes widened considerably.  “Lovely work.”

“Don’t they eat their mates?” Hardison whispered to Eliot.

Sure, they looked to be quality pieces.  Just not exactly his style.

“Yeah, very nice,” he managed to get out.

Parker was very pleased with herself, as he could see.

 

Sophie didn’t get to give him his present until after they had traveled to San Lorenzo.  The photos still gave him nightmares sometimes, but he never took them down. 

“How the hell am I gonna be able to sleep in here with these things staring at me?” he asked Sophie later.

“Maybe you could concentrate on other things?” Sophie bantered back at him.

Sophie stood before him, in his very late birthday present.  The heels were high, the negligee sheer, her lips very red and inviting.  Looking back and forth between Sophie and the photos, he wondered in the back of his mind if Parker was sending him a message.  Sure, Sophie had never attempted to bite his head off, but she certainly did give him a run for his money.

As he approached her, she pulled out the handcuffs from behind her back.  Now he was worried. 

“Handcuffs?”

“Seems to fit the mood of the room, now doesn’t it?”

“Just don’t bite my head off once we’re done.”

Sophie couldn’t help but giggle a bit from his statement.  In a knowing smile, she did put her hand on her hip.

“Don’t count on it.”

Nate swallowed, wondering if he perhaps needed to back up and watch her closely.

“Maybe we need to use the cuffs on you?”

“Maybe the birthday boy needs his birthday spanking now.”

Nate’s eyes crossed as Sophie led the way to the bed.  Before Sophie could even touch him, his cell phone rang.  She pointed at him to not touch it, but he did. 

“It’s, yeah, yeah.  I gotta take this,” he mumbled to Sophie.

The night was ruined for the two of them, with Sophie stalking off and Nate on the phone for over an hour with a client.

 

“Nate, I have a favor to ask.  I hope you won’t be mad.”

Be mad at Parker?  He’d been angry with her too many times to count, but he could never stay mad at her for very long.  This time though, it seemed like she genuinely wanted to ask a favor.  Parker rarely asked for favors.  Since getting back from San Lorenzo, things had been looking up for Nate, other than the times when he looked at those photos on his walls.  They still messed with him sometimes.

“No, no, Parker.  What’s on your mind?”

“I was wondering, if maybe, maybe.”

“OK, spit it out.”

“If I could trade you, for those praying mantis photos I gave you.  I wanted some for me too, but I can’t find them anymore.”

Oh, thank god for her suggestion.

“Oh, oh, not a problem.  You, you go ahead and take them.  I appreciate the thought, it’s just…”

“They were wigging you out.  Sophie told me.  Sorry, I couldn’t keep a straight face.  Besides, I really want them to hang in my place.”

“Now I have to ask if you’re angry with me?”

“Nah.  I did find something to replace them though.”

Parker led him up the stairs, opening the door with a flourish.  Not again, he begged.  He certainly did not want to disappoint Parker again.

She’d replaced the photos with photos of the team.  Very large photos of the team.  Now they’d be staring back at him, almost like they were watching him as he did every single little thing.

“Um, um.  Parker.  They’re…”

“Nice.  Aren’t these nice?  Hardison was able to make these from some of the photos he’s gathered over the years from cons we’ve done together.”

“I, I, yeah.  About that.”

Each of the team members walked into the room and burst out laughing.

“Gotcha,” Parker said as she couldn’t contain the laugh any more.

“Do you think we’d want a full size replica of ourselves in your room?” Eliot pointed out.

“Hey, I do good work.”

“You do, Hardison.  You do.  Besides, it’s a bit creepy,” Sophie added.  “All of you looking down, where Nate sleeps.”

“I, um, yeah, where Nate sleeps,” Nate agreed, looking at Sophie out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s kind of like the three of us watching the two of you have sex.”

“Parker,” Nate yelled.

“Not appropriate,” Sophie said to her.

“Just don’t go there, woman,” Hardison said as he shook his head.

“There’s somethin’ wrong with you,” Eliot finished.

“What?  Not like the rest of you weren’t thinking that.”

“Oh boy.”


End file.
